4 Martinis is 3 too many
by EmbraceTheMystery
Summary: Six of crows high school au. Jesper is hosting a party and everyone's invited. Kaz has alterier motives, Nina and Matthias are broken up, Jesper and Wylan are the hosts and Inej is not a party person. T for language
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Inej, wait up!" someone called. I turned around and saw that it was Jesper. I stopped walking down the hallway to my locker. Jesper catches up to me in a few long strides.  
"What's up?" I ask.  
"What are you doing this Saturday night?" he asks, smirking. I think for a second.  
"I really need to study for my chemistry test next week."  
"So you're free! Great. Party at Wylan's place. Be there at eight, bye!" Jesper calls and quickly struts away to invite the next person. I shake my head. Jesper's parties are known for being completely disastrous. If there's one person who doesn't know when to stop, it's Jesper. I decide not to go and head back to my locker. Jesper won't notice if I'm there anyway and I'd rather get a good grade than a hangover.

I'm in AP English class when my best friend, Nina, starts throwing folded up notes on my desk while our teacher is giving a lecture on Macbeth.  
I open the first note.  
"Party at Jesper's on Saturday. U going?"  
I look at Nina, who's sitting on my right and shake my head. She gives me a disbelieving frown and shakes her head. She turns back to her notebook and writes a new note.  
I try to look to the front and listen to the teacher, but Nina's note hits my face.  
"Yes u r! Pregame at my house. I'll drag u there if I have to."  
I smile at her determination but shake my head.  
Nina pouts and begins to scribble new notes, but our teacher is already assigning the homework and before Nina can do her best to convince me, the bell rings.  
"Ugh finally, lunch!" Nina sighs.

We head for the cafeteria and Nina instantly begins assaulting me with reasons I should go to the party.

"Come on, Inej. It'll be fun! You can wear that new see through top! We can get shitfaced! You can sleep at my house if you want. My parents don't care. You never go out with me!"

"And for good reasons. Last weekend you sent me 50 drunk snapchats. Not classy." I also did not feel like getting shitfaced when I had exams on Monday. I knew Nina wouldn't let me off the hook that easily, so I really needed to change the subject.  
"I hope there's waffles for lunch." I say as Nina begins to complain.

"Oh my Gosh, me too! I would die for waffles." We enter the cafeteria and move towards our usual table. Jesper and Wylan are already sitting and eating -thank god- waffles. Nina and I throw our bags down and go to get our waffle fix.

When we come back to the table, Nina is still rattling off a list of reasons that I should go. I sit down next to Wylan. Kaz joined the table while we were gone and Jesper is trying to convince him to go to the party as well.  
"Come on Brekker, live a little." Kaz shakes his head.

"Unlike you, Jesper, I live for more than getting drunk every weekend."

Nina and Jesper continue their assault and Kaz and I share annoyed looks an eye rolls.

When Jesper is telling a story about the best party of his life, I see Nina's gaze wondering around the cafeteria. It stops on a table by the window, where a group of football players is joking around. Among them is Nina's on-off right now ex-boyfriend, Matthias. I lean over to Wylan. "Is Matthias invited as well?" I whisper to him. Wylan, being Jespers boyfriend, usually plans the parties with him. Wylan nods slowly, seeing Nina's fixed gaze as well. That would explain why Nina wanted to go, wanted to get shitfaced and didn't want to go alone.

Wylan and I share a glance.

"You know what, I think I can go.", I say, silencing Jesper and snapping Nina out of her trance.

"Oh hell yeah!" Nina and Jesper say at once.  
I sigh. This weekend could go seriously wrong.

The lunchbell rings and we all get up to head to our next classes. As I put my tray away, Kaz appears next to me.

"Need a ride home?" I usually catch a ride with Jesper or Nina or I walk home, since I can't afford a car. Kaz lives on the other side of town and his car is sacred to him. He never lets anyone drive with him. I suspect he wanted to talk to me.

"Yeah, thanks." I say and Kaz gives me a short nod.

Kaz and I head to our next class, algebra, together.

Whenever Kaz goes anywhere, people make room. He is the king of this school, without even trying. Everyone knows he's a genius but doesn't care about grades. He's effortlessly cool. He doesn't talk to anyone he doesn't have to. The teachers love him even though he breaks all the rules. Kaz Brekker runs this school.

After school, I try to find Kaz' car in the parking lot. He always shows up later than everyone else, so he doesn't get one of the front spaces. I see his car and walk over. Kaz is already inside, windows down, rock music blaring. I got in on the passenger side. Kaz didn't look up from his phone. He was always on his phone in class. No one knew what he was doing. I suspected he was working on some startup project. Kaz locked his phone and threw it in the back of the car. He turned the keys and slammed the reverse gear into place. Kaz was the only person I knew who drove a stick-shift car. He sped out of the parking lot, hardly looking out for pedestrians. Once we were on a larger road, Kaz shifted up through the gears and turned down the radio.

"I need your help with something." He said, staring at the road.

"And what's that?" I asked. Kaz knew he could always ask me for help, though he hardly ever did.

"On Saturday, I need to get into Wylan's dad's office. He has something that belongs to one of my… associates. I'll use the party as a distraction to get it. But the way I know him, Mr. Van Eck is going to have his office triple locked." He explained.

I wasn't exactly 'in the know' about Kaz' affairs but in hard times, I was there to help.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

"I need someone to get in there. And I think you might be the right person. Wylan's bedroom is exactly above the office. If you were to climb down from the window, I think you should be able to just slide it open."

"You're telling me he's going to triple lock his office, but not his window?"

Kaz shrugs.

"I might have made a deal with a certain someone who lives in the house to leave the window open the day before."

I shake my head. "You're in too deep, aren't you?"

Kaz nods. Whatever business he has going on, it's not something that can go wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

Once Kaz drops me off at home, I start doing my homework. Nina keeps texting me about what she should wear. She still had two days to decide, but that was Nina.

The next day in school, everyone kept asking me whether I was going to the party. Most people didn't usually talk to me since the only thing they knew about me was that I was a cheerleader (Nina's fault) and that I was one of the few people Kaz Brekker talked to.

Most people were surprised to hear that I was going to the party, since I couldn't usually be asked to go to school parties.

I didn't tell anyone that the reason I was going was partly to look out for Nina and partly to help Kaz.

Friday's lessons dragged on endlessly. When the final bell rang, everyone made their way to the blissful freedom of the weekend.

I was going to walk today, but when I left the parking lot, a car pulled up beside me. Behind the wheel was Matthias.

"Do you need a ride?" he asks, not looking at me. I figure he wants something from me, so I get in.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Do you know if Nina is going to that Party at Van Eck's house tomorrow?" he asks. I know he knows, because Nina has been shouting at everyone in the hallways to come to the party.

"Yeah, she is." I say.  
Matthias sighs.

"I just don't want her to cause a scene. Are you sure she's fine with me being there as well?" I shrug. "You're both old enough to be at the same party together without starting a fight."

Matthias runs a hand through his hair.

"I'll just stick with my friends and hope she doesn't make a scene." He says. I try not to get angry. Nina and Matthias have a weird relationship. I don't really understand everything that's going on between them. Matthias wants the best for Nina, but according to her, he hates her. And Nina doesn't want to be without him but can't be with him without fighting.

"Maybe you two should talk it out." I suggest and Matthias gives a short laugh.

"Yeah… no. That won't work." He states and I decide not to press the issue. We ride in silence for the rest of the way. As I get out, I thank him for the ride.

"Don't mention it." He drives off, straight faced.

The next morning, I wake up early and start working out. Obviously, I work out all week as a cheerleader, but on weekends, I usually work out for fun. After destroying my abs, I take a shower. When I come back, Nina has positively blown up my phone.

Nina: Inej, what are you wearing?  
Nina: More importantly, what should I wear?

Nina: I need help.

Nina: I asked Jesper but he just said "something slutty"

Nina: Answer me, woman!

Nina: When are you coming over?

Nina: I've got like half a bottle of Vodka

Nina: Aaaaanswer!

I slowly unlock my phone and respond:

Inej: Nina, It's 10 in the morning. I'll come over at 6. Chill out. Don't freak yourself out.

She responds instantly:

Nina: What do you mean don't freak myself out? I'm chill. Nothing wrong here. Everything's cool… actually could you be here at 5?

Inej: Alright. Can you do my make up?

Nina: Can I do your make up? I will beat your face until Kaz Brekker himself doesn't recognize you!

Inej: Lmao whatever. Kaz won't look at me anyway… not like I care. Whatever.

Nina: Sure…

I throw my phone on my bed and go downstairs to get breakfast. My parents are both travelling for work. They usually are. When I was a child, they took me with them a lot. When I started middle school, that changed. At first, I was only left with either one of my aunts or a baby sitter but when I was old enough, my parents were fine with leaving me alone. I don't mind being alone. I've never been one to throw parties or invite people over, so I never have to clean the house in a rush before my parents come back. But my house is the standard hang out spot for my group of friends.

I make scrambled eggs for breakfast and eat a grapefruit as well. When I check on my phone again, I have 8 new texts from Nina, which I artfully ignore. I really need to study until I go over to her house.

My head is smoking when I realise that it's almost 5 already. I throw some of my party appropriate clothes and a pyjama in a duffle bag. I grab my essentials (phone, charger, keys) and run out the door. Nina doesn't live too far away but I'm running late, which I don't like. When I arrive, Nina is still freaking out about what to wear.

"Is this a good red or like a clash with my hair red?" she holds up a red top. It doesn't clash with her hair and it is the exact same shade of red as the three other tops she held up before.

"It's more of a bloodorange." I say and she frowns.

"It's fucking red. Whatever I'm wearing this." She puts the shirt on and starts looking for a matching lipstick.

I lie down on her bed and scroll through Instagram on my phone.

"So… Matthias will be there tonight…" I start.

Nina stops going through her makeup drawer and turns to me.

"Don't even talk about him." She says with a sigh.

"You know you won't be able to ignore him. Why won't you just talk to him? I'm sure he isn't even mad anymore."

"It's complicated. I don't even know what's going on anymore. All I know is I didn't do anything wrong and I stand by my decisions. If he can't accept that, it's his problem." Nina turns around and starts brushing her hair.

"But you're both miserable right now. You know he likes you, he just needs you to tell him that you're sorry or whatever." I shrug.

"Just drop it, Inej. I really can't be asked to get into that boys' head."

"Alright, alright…" I roll onto my stomach.

Nina finishes her makeup and starts doing mine. She uses a LOT of black eyeshadow, which scares me slightly.

"Speaking of boys… How's Kaz?" Nina smirks.

I purse my lips. Nina keeps trying to convince me that Kaz is secretly in love with me. Everybody knows that the only thing Kaz is in love with is money.

"How should I know?"

"You do know you're the only person he kind of trusts. I think you genuinely mean a lot to him, even if that boy has the emotions of a stone. Don't let him get away, Inej."

I sigh. I don't even know what I want. I never had a boyfriend and I never felt like I was missing out. Sure, my parents had a great relationship and I guess that was my ultimate goal, but none of the boys in school seemed attractive to me and I never felt like anyone wanted to be with me. Especially not Kaz.

"I can't hold him down anyway." I say. Nina tilts my head back and adds a purple lipstick.

When she's finished with my make-up she lets me look in the mirror. She has rimmed my eyes in black, which looks like smoke rising up and makes my eyes look bright.

The purple lipstick makes me look fierce.

I thank her and we get ready to leave. We decide to walk to Wylan's house and take a bottle of vodka mixed with Coke with us to share on the way.

"Let's partyyyyy bitches!" Nina yells once we leave her street.

I snicker but keep quiet.

By the time we get to Wylan's, there's music blaring out of the windows. Nina and I, mostly Nina, though, have finished the vodka. When we open the door, Jesper is dancing on the coffee table, Matthias and a bunch of the other football players are shotgunning beers in the back garden, a couple runs upstairs and Wylan is wiping something up in the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

3

Nina immediately grabbed a red solo cup from the kitchen and joined Jesper on the table. I tried not to stare at anyone and went to talk to Wylan.

"Jesper invited the whole school?"

"Yep." Wylan didn't sound mad though. He would do anything for Jesper. Plus, I don't think he minds having people around. His dad is out of town a lot as well and even when he is there, he doesn't spend a lot of time with Wylan. Wylan says he never wanted kids and since Wylan's mother died their relationship has only gotten worse.

Jesper is the only one Wylan really considers family.

"How long has everyone been here?"I asked.

Wylan shrugged, "The football guys showed up an hour ago and everyone else kind of trickled in later."

I helped myself to a plastic cup of Vodka with orange juice.

"Have you seen Kaz?", I asked Wylan.

"Not yet. I don't even know if he's coming."

"I mean he told me he'd come, but it's Kaz, so, you know…" I explained.

"Yeah… I really can't figure him out. I don't even know if he likes me or hates me." Wylan complained.

"I know how you feel. It took all of middle school for him to even talk to me. But I'm sure he likes you. He wouldn't let you date Jesper otherwise." I said.

"What do you mean he wouldn't let us date? That sounds kind of controlling…"

"That's not what I meant. Kaz isn't controlling, he's just… very protective. He looks out for the people he cares about. If he was scared you'd hurt Jesper he would have warned him, but he wouldn't try to control him." I explained.

"I still don't get him." Wylan said, shaking his head.

"He'll grow on you."

"Like a tumor." Wylan muttered.

I rolled my eyes.

"I'll go find Nina." I walked out of the kitchen. Nina had left Jesper alone on the table. He was still dancing wildly. When he saw me, he pointed at me and tried to motion for me to get up on the table. I shook my head and checked to see if Nina was in the garden. She was and she was sitting on someone's lap. At first I assumed it was Matthias, but then I saw that it was another guy. He was on the football team as well but I'd never seen him with Nina.

 _It's not your business._ I told myself.

I looked around the garden and saw that Matthias was sitting on a lawn chair with some of his football friends. They were whispering with their heads close together. I saw Matthias glancing at Nina a couple of times, but he didn't do anything. I guessed they were going to figure it out on their own. I went back inside. "Wannabe" by the spice girls was playing and Jesper was pointing at Wylan. Wylan was leaning against the doorframe, but while rolling his eyes he went over to Jesper and took his hand, climbing onto the coffee table. His movement was a lot more awkward than Jesper's but he wasn't a bad dancer.

I smiled at them and moved into the entryway.

Sitting on the stairs was none other than Kaz Brekker. He was looking at his phone, scowling. He wore the same outfit he wore to school, a black shirt, black jeans and a well-tailored coat.

"Kaz." I said by way of greeting.

He looked up from his phone, his mouth hanging slightly open.

"Inej." His voice was smooth and steady, like always. He got up and started walking up the stairs. He didn't have to tell me to follow him. We walked up two flights of stairs until Kaz entered a room. I went in behind him. He didn't turn on any lights except for a desk lamp. I guessed this was Wylan's room. Kaz had told me he wanted me to climb down into Wylan's dad's office, just underneath this room. I still didn't know what he wanted from Wylan's dad, but I knew he would tell me what I needed to know. I sat down on Wylan's huge bed. A whole wall of his room was a bookshelf. Kaz was still standing by the desk, in front of the window. He turned to me.

"Okay, I need you to just drop down to the window. Get inside and find a phone. Probably just a black iPhone. It should be turned off, just pocket it and leave." I frowned. This wasn't like Kaz's usual plans. "You want me to just take it. Not leave anything in its place?"

Kaz shrugged.

"By the time he notices it'll be too late anyway." He looked out the window for a moment.

"I don't think any neighbours can see this window, so you should be good." He said.

"Alright. Black phone. I'll get it." I agreed.

I moved over to the window and stood next to Kaz. We were almost touching but not quite.

Neither of us were very touchy. The only interpersonal contact I allowed was during cheerleading.

No one touched Kaz. Jesper had once jokingly punched him and instantly landed on the floor.

While I was probably Kaz' closest friend, I didn't touch him either. It was a clear line I didn't need to cross.

I pushed the desk away from the window and climbed on the window ledge.

"Try not to die." Kaz advised. I nodded, smirking.

The first time Kaz had asked for my help was in 9th grade. I was relatively new to the school and the first thing people told me was that Kaz was a troubled kid who couldn't be trusted and shouldn't be talked to.

Of course, I talked to him anyway.

He sat alone at lunch with Nina and Jesper sitting at the next table over and occasionally glancing at him. Nina waved me over to them and I sat down with them. Nina had immediately declared that we would be friends when I started at the school.

I was glad to have people to sit with and Nina was fun to be around.

When I sat down, Nina introduced me to Jesper. Then she pointed behind her, "and that's Kaz Brekker. He likes to pretend that he's not friends with us except for when he needs a favour." Kaz didn't react even though he had clearly heard her. I turned to him and extended my hand, which he eyed suspiciously. "Inej Ghafa. I'm new here." I said. He took my hand and gave it a short shake, his mouth turning downward as he did. "Kaz Brekker. I'm the king of this school." I smiled. "Well then I'm glad to make your acquaintance, Kaz."

He gave me another glance and turned back to his food, though he hardly touched it. He was reading a book and writing in a notebook at the same time.

"He's super smart so he thinks he's better than everyone. He's actually not that great." Nina whispered in my ear. I smiled. "Well, I'm smart, too. And I won't be a dick about it." That made Nina laugh. Kaz had started sitting with us at lunch shortly after.

Back then I was still a gymnast. I quit when we went to high school because I didn't have the time for it anymore, but Nina had convinced me to start cheerleading instead.

Kaz had been surprised to learn that I was a gymnast and had asked me how I felt about climbing. I was sceptical. I hadn't really climbed a lot, but I wasn't afraid of heights and it sounded kind of fun. So Kaz and I went climbing. It turned out Kaz's leg had been broken several times. "Car accident." He had said, but I didn't quite believe it. Kaz never told me much about his past, but I was sure he hadn't had a very wholesome childhood. Climbing was difficult for him, but I really enjoyed it. When we left, Kaz told me it looked like I was a natural. The next week, he introduced me to a friend of his, a guy who climbed up buildings for fun. We went climbing together and the guy gave me some helpful pointers. Kaz had waited for me in his car. When I came back, I asked why he had introduced me to his friend. He told me he thought it would be fun for me. I suspected there was an ulterior motive, but even when pressed, Kaz said he just wanted me to have fun.

About two weeks later, Kaz asked me to climb up a building and get a briefcase from the roof. It was a very weird request, so I had forced him to give me at least some information. Ever since then, Kaz had told me what I wanted to know. I never pushed too far, and he never told me more than I needed to know. I had also never told anyone else anything about Kaz's private business. Nina and Jesper had both asked on multiple occasions, but my lips were sealed.

On the night of the party, Kaz hadn't really given me any information but I knew Wylan's dad was shady. He had a business but not even Wylan knew what he was doing exactly.

I climbed down the façade of the house, it was a brick building so I could easily find cracks to fit my hands and feet.

Soon I was perched on the windowsill of the office.

I slid open the window and climbed inside. I saw a security camera in one corner, but it was pointed toward the door, the angle allowing me to slip to the desk and pocket the black iPhone that was lying plain on the desk, like Kaz had said.

Just as I turned on my heels, I heard the lock click.


	4. Chapter 4

4

Nina

I was wasted. I realised this as I stood up and felt my head spin. I stumbled a bit and the guy whose lap I had just been sitting on grabbed my hips to steady me. I laughed and thanked him. I tried to walk inside in a straight line, but it turned out to be quite difficult. Jesper was still dancing on the couch table, but now Wylan was with him. I pushed through the doors and went into the kitchen. The most important thing when you are drunk is to drink water. I filled a cup and chugged it. I turned around to find Inej, she always saved me from getting too drunk.

When I turned, I saw Matthias standing in the doorway. He was frowning, but Matthias always frowned at me.

"Matthias" I smiled, walking over to him and swinging my hips more than I usually would. I could see his irritation as his gaze lowered.

"You're drunk." He said.

"And you are smart." I pointed at him and then trailed my finger down his chest. He rolled his eyes in response.

"Want me to take you home?" he asked.

"You're not my boyfriend anymore, Matthias, I don't need you to take care of me." I said. I put my hands on his chest and tried to push him away. He didn't move at all. He took my wrists and pulled my hands away from his chest.

"Do you want me to find Inej?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I don't need help. I'm fine." I turned around and got another cup of water.

"Nina… You are clearly drunk. Just let me take you home. I won't tell anyone."

"Why? Are you embarrassed by me?" I asked.

"Well, you're not my girlfriend anymore so there's no need for me to be embarrassed by you. I just don't want you to do anything stupid."

I laughed.

"Are you calling me stupid?" I knew he wasn't, but I felt like fighting.  
"Nina please don't be like that. You know I care about you so just let me take you home." He sighed, dragging a hand over his cropped hair.

He still cared about me. He said it. He still cared.

"Okay." I said. I walked over to him and let him put a hand on my back, steadying me.

Matthias got my jacket and purse and I went to find Inej to tell her I was leaving.

I went upstairs, but couldn't find Inej anywhere.

I told Jesper that I was leaving and to let Inej know when he saw her.

Jesper and Wylan said goodbye and I met Matthias again at the door. He was still frowning, but not as much as before.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah." We left and found his car a short walk away. He opened the passenger door and helped me in.

When he started the engine, he looked over at me and I smiled.

"What?" he asked.

"You still care about me." I smiled.

He huffed, staring at the road. "Like you didn't know that."

"I wasn't sure. You dumped me, Matthias." He had broken up with me because I was not mature enough, apparently.

"Nina" he sighed. I looked at my hands in my lap.

"I care about you, too, you know?" I whispered.

"I know." He turned into my street, killing the engine in front of my house.

I didn't know what to say so I just looked at him. Before I could think about it, I leaned in and kissed him.

He sighed against my lips but kissed me back. When he pulled away he put his hand on his head. He seemed to think for a little bit, then he turned to me. He took my hand in his. It was cold and callused and familiar.

"I care about you. And I love being with you. Even though you're infuriating and outrageous, you make me live more than I ever would without you. But we can't do this. We can't be together. We just want different things out of life." He says.

"How do you know what I want?" I say, I feel myself getting angry.

"Don't be mad, Nina. You know we don't work together."

"How can you say that? Do you know what I want? What I want is to be with you, you stupid jerk! And we would have a future if you bothered to put any kind of work into this relationship! Nothing comes easily, Matthias, you have to fight for what you want. But if I'm not what you want, then fine. I won't beg you anymore." I realised that I'd started crying.

Matthias was quiet. After a minute, I reached for the door and started getting out.

"Goodbye, Matthias." I whispered. When I moved away and swung my legs around, he grabbed my hand. "Nina, wait!"

I took a deep breath.

"Nina, please. You know that I care about you more than I care about anyone else. I wish we could work things out, but we've been together for two years and we've never gone more than 3 weeks without fighting. What do you think will happen when we got to college? We need to grow up. And I'm trying to grow up, but you're not, and that's fine, but I don't want to hold you back. If you want to go out and get drunk and have fun then that's fine, but I don't want that." Matthias was staring straight ahead the whole time, but I could hear the emotion in his voice.

"Matthias… you never told me that. Fuck. I just want to be with you." I was crying again.

"I want to be with you, too. But I won't force you to change. You deserve to be with someone who wants the same things as you." He turned to me.

"I don't want anyone else. I want you." I looked at the ceiling. I was sick of crying. And sick of fighting. I waited for Matthias to say something.

When he stayed quiet, I opened the door and got out of the car. I walked towards my house and listened to hear whether he was driving away. He wasn't. When I got to my front door, I turned to look at him and saw him leaning over the steering wheel. I felt my stomach plunge but I didn't turn back.

When I had crept into my room I looked out of the window. Matthias car was still there. I turned away, getting into bed still in my clothes and make up.


End file.
